Theological/philosophical/cultural/spiritual thoughts about God and the Real Jesus.

Saturday, June 27, 2015

The Supreme Court Is Not My Shepherd: Part 2

In the wake of the Supreme Court decision to change the definition of marriage it is important for Jesus-followers to remember whose kingdom they really belong to. Jesus did not come to establish "Christian nations." He said "My kingdom is not of this world," while rejecting opportunities and invitations to rule over Israel as an earthly king. (See, e.g., Greg Boyd, The Myth of a Christian Nation.) It is also important to understand that:1) Every person has an ethical worldview. (See, e.g., Lewis Vaughn, The Power of Critical Thinking, Chapter 11, on applying logic to ethical thinking.)2) In formulating an ethical system no one looks to Supreme Court rulings for guidance. 3) This means that, as a Jesus-follower, the Supreme Court has no influence on my ethical worldview. In my worldview "marriage" is defined as between a male and a female. While I might have been glad had the Supreme Court agreed with me, such agreement would not bolster my already-established ethical position on marriage. In the same way the Court's decision to define marriage unethically (as seen from my worldview's POV) is fundamentally irrelevant to me. Note: One excellent example of formulating a Christian Worldview is Richard Hays, The Moral Vision of the New Testament.